I was working on a homebrew subclass for the artificer, revolving around creating totems and invoking nature spirits. I figured this would work as they are crafting an object.
however one critic stated that it didn't really fit with the Artificer because the artificer was supposed to be about clock work and gears and such, and didn't mesh well with the idea of nature magic. Can I get more opinions. This critic, obviously didn't like the idea, and it wouldn't fit their head cannon, which I can respect. But, have I lost the plot here?
I could see building devices to channel natural energy. I will say the fluff of artificer would be more about devices that bend the energy than communing with it.
Edit: you can look into biomimicry if you want to tie in real use of natural concepts in the creation of technology for your subclass
Saying the artificer should be about clockwork and gears is an unimaginatively narrow view of the class.
The above commenter’s idea about biomimicry is a great one. Take the warforged as an example: their “muscles” are sinewy, woody plant matter.
The idea of the artificer IS that their creations be artificial; it’s right there in the name. Totems as commonly imagined might not be a great fit. But putting together some sort of effigy with artificial working parts based on natural things that exhibit the necessary properties and then imbued with a magical spirit? That’s extremely artificer.
The artificer is about making things, it doesn't have to do with gears or steam. If you want to make an artificer that molds nature into its craft, that is fine.
Because the Artificer has been introduced through the Eberron setting it can be hard not to think about a steampunk version of the character. Consider what that class would look like in Faerun, Barovia, or any of the other settings that are lower tech. It would make sense for them to work with the materials they had available. Also a huge emphasis is placed on using tools, but offer more than just Tinker's Tools...The Right Tool For The Right Job let's you create any tools you need, meaning that an Artificer could use things as diverse as Cobblers, Brewers, Cobblers, Cooks, Potters, Navigators, and Thieve's tools. So I think there are a TON of ways you can flavor your Artificer!
Especially the Alchemist would work really well with a nature based approach. Going out into the wild to scavenge for rare or difficult to obtain ingredients to use in your concoctions, cultivating a garden or farmstead to grow and raise what you need...I could see an Alchemist and a Druid working well together!
The thing to remember about the Artificer is that it's a forward-looking class. Wherever your artificer is, whatever the materials and tools around her are, the core of the class - the core of artifice in general - is thinking of ways to take what you have and use it to make something new and better. An artificer using natural materials and spirit invocation would still feel artifice-y if they stuck to that core ideal of invention and innovation, always trying to improve and create rather than being content with what already exists.
Totems, calling upon spirits of nature to intercede on your behalf, and other more druid-esque trappings don't tend to jive with that spirit of progress and so don't always feel right with an artificer, but you can mingle the two if you remember that your subclass should still be a way for someone to engage in artifice. It's not just making things, it's that mindset of constant inventive improvement that makes an artificer.
Artillerists can make their Eldritch Cannons with woodcarver's tools. One of the characters I know I'll never play but statted out anyways is a Half-Orc shaman who drops little wooden carvings as the seeds for his turrets. Maybe make my own shield out of leather and wood and then infuse it so it's as strong as/stronger than one made of steel.
The running theme with Artificers is that they make things and use magic to make them work. Whether it's clockwork or carved runes or something shamanistic or origami or anything else you can imagine.
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I was working on a homebrew subclass for the artificer, revolving around creating totems and invoking nature spirits. I figured this would work as they are crafting an object.
however one critic stated that it didn't really fit with the Artificer because the artificer was supposed to be about clock work and gears and such, and didn't mesh well with the idea of nature magic. Can I get more opinions. This critic, obviously didn't like the idea, and it wouldn't fit their head cannon, which I can respect. But, have I lost the plot here?
I could see building devices to channel natural energy. I will say the fluff of artificer would be more about devices that bend the energy than communing with it.
Edit: you can look into biomimicry if you want to tie in real use of natural concepts in the creation of technology for your subclass
Saying the artificer should be about clockwork and gears is an unimaginatively narrow view of the class.
The above commenter’s idea about biomimicry is a great one. Take the warforged as an example: their “muscles” are sinewy, woody plant matter.
The idea of the artificer IS that their creations be artificial; it’s right there in the name. Totems as commonly imagined might not be a great fit. But putting together some sort of effigy with artificial working parts based on natural things that exhibit the necessary properties and then imbued with a magical spirit? That’s extremely artificer.
The artificer is about making things, it doesn't have to do with gears or steam. If you want to make an artificer that molds nature into its craft, that is fine.
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InsiderBecause the Artificer has been introduced through the Eberron setting it can be hard not to think about a steampunk version of the character. Consider what that class would look like in Faerun, Barovia, or any of the other settings that are lower tech. It would make sense for them to work with the materials they had available. Also a huge emphasis is placed on using tools, but offer more than just Tinker's Tools...The Right Tool For The Right Job let's you create any tools you need, meaning that an Artificer could use things as diverse as Cobblers, Brewers, Cobblers, Cooks, Potters, Navigators, and Thieve's tools. So I think there are a TON of ways you can flavor your Artificer!
Especially the Alchemist would work really well with a nature based approach. Going out into the wild to scavenge for rare or difficult to obtain ingredients to use in your concoctions, cultivating a garden or farmstead to grow and raise what you need...I could see an Alchemist and a Druid working well together!
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The thing to remember about the Artificer is that it's a forward-looking class. Wherever your artificer is, whatever the materials and tools around her are, the core of the class - the core of artifice in general - is thinking of ways to take what you have and use it to make something new and better. An artificer using natural materials and spirit invocation would still feel artifice-y if they stuck to that core ideal of invention and innovation, always trying to improve and create rather than being content with what already exists.
Totems, calling upon spirits of nature to intercede on your behalf, and other more druid-esque trappings don't tend to jive with that spirit of progress and so don't always feel right with an artificer, but you can mingle the two if you remember that your subclass should still be a way for someone to engage in artifice. It's not just making things, it's that mindset of constant inventive improvement that makes an artificer.
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Your Artificer should be how you envision your Artificer, not how someone else envisions theirs.
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Artillerists can make their Eldritch Cannons with woodcarver's tools. One of the characters I know I'll never play but statted out anyways is a Half-Orc shaman who drops little wooden carvings as the seeds for his turrets. Maybe make my own shield out of leather and wood and then infuse it so it's as strong as/stronger than one made of steel.
The running theme with Artificers is that they make things and use magic to make them work. Whether it's clockwork or carved runes or something shamanistic or origami or anything else you can imagine.